Road-scraper



E. A. WRIGHT. ROAD SGRAPER.

No. 584,719. Patented June 15,1897.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

IINTTTED ASTATES PATENT Ormea.

EDGAR A. IVRIGIIT, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE AUIJIMAN COMPANY, OF CANTON, OIIIO.

ROAD-SCRAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,719, dated June 15, 1897.

Application nea ramry 2,1897. serrano. 621,646. oa man.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, EDGAR A. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Scrapers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of' this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation of a road-scraping machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a view on the line of Fig. l. Fig. 3 illustrates in side elevation and in end elevation a modified form of adjusting devices for the flexible draft connection of the scraper-blade.

In general construction and arrangement of parts the mechanism herein illustrated is substantially similar to that illustrated and described in my earlier application, Serial No. 608,620, filed October l2, 1896, and it is not necessary, therefore, to describe all of the details in this application.

The scraper-blade E is supported by a wheeled supporting-frame consisting of the two longitudinally-extending bars A, each in the embodiment of my invention herein illustrated being shaped so as to have a front upwardly-extending inclined part c, an approximately-horizontal` central portion a', and a rear inclined part CL2, which is provided with a backward-projecting arm a3. Said longitudinal bars are connected bya suitable number of cross-bars, one being shown at o4 at the front end. The runninggear of' this wheeled supporting-frame comprises the front axle C, with Wheels D, and the rear axle C', with wheels D'. The front axle is pivotally connected with the main frame, the latter having an expanded ring c6, which rests upon a similar opposing ring c, carried by the axle and supported by means of a standard c', there being aking-bolt of the ordinary sort for joining the parts together.

The platform upon which the operator stands is indicated by B, it being supported by the rear part of the above-described wheeled frame.

The scraper-blade E may be of any of the common forms or of `any preferred sort. In the embodiment of myinvention herein illustrated said blade is pivotally connected to draft-bars E', which are carried by an expanded ring-like plate F. This scraper-supporting part is suspended and guided by means of clips or flanged bolts G G', which are secured to the draft-frame I of the scraper.

J are links which are connected at their lower ends to the scraper draft-frame and at their upper ends are connected to adjusting devices, by which the scraper-blade and its supporting devices above described can be adjusted vertically. I have herein shown two centrally-fulcrumed levers K for effecting this vertical movement of the scraperblade. These levers are fulcrumed on suitable uprights 7a2, mounted on the main framebars A, and one arm, 7c', of each lever is connected with the upper end of one of the aforesaid links J. The other arm, 7c, of each of said levers is connected by means of a link or rod fm, With a hand-lever M, which is fulcrumed on the rearwardly-inclined portion a2 of the main frame and within reach of the operator standing on the platform B. To hold said adjusting parts and the scraperblade in any desired adjusted position, the hand-levers M are provided with lockingdogs M', adapted to engage with the teeth of segmental racks N.

To assist the above-described parts in raising the scraper-blade and its draft-frame, I employ a coiled spring R. This spring in Figs. l and 2 is shown as coiled about an axis extending longitudinally of the machine and is supported by suitable uprights p, extending inwardly from the bars A of the wheeled frame. One end of said spring is held rigid, While the other end is connected with a Winding drum or reel P2, said reel being` preferably arranged eccentrically of the axis of the spring. To the drum or reel P2 is connected one end of a cable or flexible draft device, the other end of which is adjustably connected with the scraper-blade in the following manner:

pis a stirrup orloophaving its ends secured to the draft-frame of the scraper-blade and extending somewhat upward therefrom to provide a horizontal guide-bar at its upper end. P is a link loosely connected with the crossbar of this loop or stirrup, it preferably having a roller or wheel p interposed between it and the aforesaid guide-bar of the loop or stirrup. The link P, which may, as shown,

be relatively short, is connected to the lower end of the cable or flexible draft device P".

From the above description and the drawings it will be seen that the spring R and devices connecting it with the scraper-blade are so arranged as to exert an upward dra-ft or tension upon the scraper-blade,which tension will be increased or decreased to correspond with the different positions vertically of the scraper.

The parts are so related that while the ten- .sion of the spring will be gradually increased as the blade E moves downward said blade and its carrier will be practically entirely relieved from the tension of the spring when said blade is in workin g position--that is, the parts are so arranged that when the blade E is in working` position the eccentrically-mounted reel or drum will be so related to the draft device connected therewith as to reduce thel pull exerted by the spring on the scraper to its minimum; but as soon as the operator moves the hand-levers M and starts either end of the scraper upward the full pull or tension of the spring will act ou the flexible connection P' and assist in raising the scraper.

By having the spring connected to the scraper by devices like the loop 195 and the parts coacting therewith the spring will be equally effective in exerting its upward pull or lift whether both ends of the blade be started in their rising movement or only one of them; and, again, the loop p5 and link Ppermit the swinging or adjusting of the scraper endwise bodily transversely of the machine without requiring that the position of the spring should be varied.

As the devices herein illustrated for shifting the scraper-blade laterally and also for adjusting said blade about a vertical axis are the same as those illustrated and specifically described in my aforesaid earlier application, and as I make no claim herein to such features, it is not deemed necessary to specifically describe the same.

It will be readily seen that my invention is not limited to the use of the particular form and arrangement of spring and coacting part-s for relieving the blade E of the spring tension when in working position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2; and various modiiications in this respect will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art as coming Within the spirit of my invention; and in Fig. 3 I have illustrated in end and side elevation a slightlymodified arrangement of parts. In this embodiment of my invention the spring R2 is arranged entirely below the winding-drum Pi, which 1s eccentrically mounted on a shaft R5. One end of the spring is connected with a stationary support 7a4 on the main frame and its other end is connected with an arm R5 on the shaft R5, which shaft is mounted in bearings in brackets p.

When the blade E is in its lowermost position or in working position, the parts occupy the positions indicated in dotted lines; and it will be seen that the strain or pull of the spring is exerted along such lines that the blade and its support are practically relieved entirely from the said strain or tension.

I do not herein claim, broadly, the combination, with a vertically-adjustable scraperblade and means for positively adjusting said blade and holding it in any adjusted position, of a lifting-spring interposed between the blade and the supporting-frame and adapted to have its tension increased as the blade descends and means for relieving the blade of the spring tension when said blade isin working position, nor any of the other features herein disclosed which are claimed in my earlier application hereinbefore referred to.

Alhat I claim isl. In a road-scraping machine, the combination of a wheeled supporting frame, a scraper-blade supported by said frame, a vibrating eccentric pivotally connected to the supportin g-f rame, a lon gitu dinally-extensible lifting device between the eccentric and the scraper-blade, a spring connected with said eccentric and arranged to have its tension increase as the scraper-blade descends, and means for positively moving the scraperblade vertically, substantially as set forth.

2. In a road-scraping machine, the combination of a wheeled supportingframe, a scraper-blade supported by said frame, a Vertically stationary lifting spring mounted on the supporting-frame and connected with the scraper-blade to have its tension increased as the blade descends, means for relieving the said blade of spring tension when in working position, and means for positively moving the said blade vertically, substantially as set forth.

3. In a road-scraping machine, the combination of a wheeled supporting frame, a scraper-blade supported by said frame, means for positively adjusting said blade vertically, a lifting-spring mounted entirely above the supporting-frame, connections between the scraper-blade and the spring, whereby the tension of the spring is increased as the blade descends, means for relieving the scraperblade of spring tension when in working position, and means for holding said blade in any adjusted position, substantially as set forth.

4. In a wheeled road-scraper, the combination of a wheeled supporting-frame, a vertically-adjustable scraper-blade, a vertically stationary lifting-spring supported by the wheeled frame and connected with the scraper-blade, means interposed between the said spring and the blade for relieving the IOO IIO 

